The Borgia Stick is a film that will really make you paranoid. Just who and how many people and groups could be surveilling any and all of us, including our own government. The title is a code phrase for use on the telephone.Don Murray and Inger Stevens are as a whitebread and All American a couple as you will find. They've got the whole suburban American dream existence other than the kids. But it's all a sham and their employer frowns on kids. In fact part of their employment stipulates no romantic involvement.They work for 'the company' the latest term for mafia, the syndicate which is now going into new forms of racketeering. They're buying into legitimate businesses and not just to launder money.But some indiscretion on Murray's part plus the fact that when two attractive people are thrown together there's a certain inevitable chemistry. These two had former lives and we see a really graphic depiction of what Stevens came from. The company has some really ambitious plans. In many ways The Borgia Stick anticipates the age of greed and Trump.Murray and Stevens get some fine support from such familiar folks in the cast like Kathleen Maguire, Sorrell Booke, Fritz Weaver, John Randolph, and Barry Nelson. Playwright Marc Connelly has a small part as one of the company men and he has a great scene with Stevens.One of the first made for TV films, The Borgia Stick holds up well after over 50 years.

When this movie begins, a man (Fritz Weaver) arrives at a funeral home and inspects two coffins...filled with Tom and Eve Harrison (Don Murray and Inger Stevens). The film then bounces back in time...and you see the Harrisons in their suburban home. They seem like any other couple...at least in this early portion of the film. However, over time you come to realize that Tom is involved in something covert...and he occasionally makes phone calls and utters a code phrase 'Borgia Stick'. Who exactly he is remains a bit vague and he refers to 'the Company'. No...he is not a CIA agent but works for the Syndicate and oversees money laundering. He takes mob money and uses it to buy legitimate businesses.Over time, Tom has two things happen that are unexpected. First, he has fallen for his wife. This might seem pretty normal...until you realize that Eve ALSO works for the Company...and their marriage is a complete shame. The marriage, their names, their identities are all false...all arranged for them by the Company. Second, some stranger (Ralph Waite) recognizes Tom for who he used to be back in Toledo...and it's obvious his cover has been blown. Not wanting to wait to find out who this stranger is, Tom informs his Company contacts of what has happened. They want him to disappear...travel abroad and live an all new life...as well as to forget Eve. Is it as easy as that? And, how will the pair eventually end up at an undertaker?All in all, this is a very intelligently written film...one for folks who want a picture that makes them think. It is not just mindless entertainment but has an unusual depth for a movie. One of the best made for television films I have ever seen...and I've seen a lot. Exciting and riveting throughout.

Like the other reviewer, I was about 15 when this incredible movie was on TV. And also sat on the edge of my seat until the very end. Many of my friends watched it and we talked about it endlessly, as teens will do. We argued and questioned all aspects of the story and character motives, etc. It was The Topic for quite some time. But my memory now of the entire story is rather vague, 44 years later. I remember someone in disguise was carrying the Borgia stick, and another character commented on its unusual design, a swan attacking a lion, symbol of the Borgia family being more powerful than the monarch. Well, whoever owns the rights, please make this wonderful story available on DVD. It may have a small but very eager audience waiting to buy it.

After the present-day funeral of Don Murray (as Thomas "Tom" Harrison) and Inger Stevens (as Evelyn "Evie" Finch), we flashback to see their story… The attractive married couple is set-up in suburban New York by a Mafia-like organization called "The Company" (explained in the script as a more modern term for "The Syndicate"). Mr. Murray (once Andrew "Andy" Mitchell) was recruited due to some embezzlement problems, and Ms. Stevens (once Ellen Coogan) was into drugs and a street gang. Basically, Murray's job is to launder money while Stevens provides bedside manner...Trouble begins when Murray decides he wants the life he is pretending to lead. Envying neighbor Barry Nelson (as Hal Carter) and his growing family, Murray declares his love for Stevens and desire to have children; moreover, Murray wants to leave "The Company". As you might imagine, this isn't going to be easy. Stevens frighteningly refuses. Then, Murray's cover is threatened when a man from his past arrives on the scene. Sensing the man (whom you'll recognize as Ralph Waite from "The Waltons") is a threat, Murray must report him to "Company" leader Fritz Weaver (as Anderson)..."The Borgia Stick" is a well-produced NBC-TV movie from 1967. Its quality and success helped return made-for-TV dramas to popularity; a 1950s staple, the TV drama had been replaced by theatrical films. But, by the late 1960s, the television-produced "Movie of the Week" was a ratings winner. Murray and Stevens are excellent; they are allowed a lot of natural, sexy chemistry. Producer Richard Lewis, writer A.J. Russell, and director David Lowell Rich would have been a winning team, if "Emmy Awards" had their categories intact. The crew re-teamed for "A Lovely Way to Die" (1968).Some combination of this crew of New York City filmmakers might have familiar with a certain afternoon TV thriller - or, they must have used the same agency. For whatever reasons, they employed (at least) six "Dark Shadows" (circa 1966-1968) TV players in not only "The Borgia Stick" but also "A Lovely Way to Die". That's more than producer Dan Curtis allowed in the average episode of the supernatural serial. Herein catch (then) "DS-regulars" Hugh Franklin and Dana Elcar along with semi-regulars or bit players Conrad Bain, House Jameson, Barnard Hughes, and Ed Crowley – all in living color.******** The Borgia Stick (2/25/67) David Lowell Rich ~ Don Murray, Inger Stevens, Barry Nelson, Fritz Weaver